US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the fatal attack.
He referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube after the incident, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records show Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun range, gun room and sniper hide.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in court.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the guns correctly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that relate to the alleged making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
